1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a covered wire having an electrical conductive core and an insulating cover portion for covering said core, and a method of distinguishing the covered wires from each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various electronic apparatuses are mounted in a car as a vehicle. A wire harness is wired in the car to supply electric power from an electric source to the electronic apparatuses and transmit control signals from a computer thereto. The wire harness has a plurality of covered wires 100 (shown in FIG. 13A, 13B) and a connector joined with an end of the covered wires 100.
The covered wire 100 includes an electric conductive core 101 and a cover portion 102 of insulating synthetic resin for covering the core 101, as shown in FIG. 13A, 13B. The covered wire is called as covered wire. The covered wire 100 is manufactured by coating extruded insulating synthetic resin around the core 101. The covered wire 100 is colored by adding required coloring material into the synthetic resin when coating the covered wire.
The connector includes electrical-conductive terminals and a connector housing. The terminal is mounted to an end of the covered wire 100 so as to be joined electrically with the core 101 of the covered wire 100. The connector housing is formed into a box shape for receiving the terminals.
For assembling the wire harness, firstly the covered wire 100 is cut so as to have a required length, and the terminal is mounted at the end of the covered wire 100. If required, the some covered wires 100 are joined to each other. Thereafter, the terminal is inserted into the connector housing. Thus, the wire harness is assembled.
The covered wires 100 of the wire harness have to be distinguished with regard to diameters thereof, materials for the cover portions 102 (various materials such as heat-resistant or not), and purposes for use. The purposes for use are as a control signal for an airbag, ABS (Antilock Brake System) or car speed information, and for a car system such as a power transmission system in which the covered wire 100 is used.
For distinguishing the purposes for use (systems), an outer surface 102a of the cover portion 102 of the covered wire 100 shown in FIG. 13 is colored in stripe pattern with two different colors A, B (shown by hatching pattern in FIG. 13A, 13B). The covered wire 100 shown in FIG. 13A, 13B is manufactures by adding coloring material of color A into extruded synthetic resin for covering the core and, thereafter, coloring a part of the outer surface 102a with colorant of color B.
A color A part and a color B part of the covered wire shown in FIG. 13A, 13B are in parallel to each other along lengthwise of the covered wire 100 and disposed around the covered wire 100. The width of the color B part is narrower than the width of the color A part so that the area of the color A part is larger than the area of the color B part.
The car has many various requirements brought by users. Therefore, cars are required to install more various electronic apparatuses therein. In case, for example a hundred kinds of the covered wires 100 are used in the wire harness, and many colored covered wires with various colors are used.
Many various combinations of color A of coloring material added into the synthetic resin for the cover portion 102 and color B of colorant for coloring the cover portion after covering are applied for the covered wires 100 shown in FIG. 13A, 13B. Covered wires 100 having various wire-diameters are used in the wire harness. A band mark 103 is formed by coloring around the outer surface of the cover portion at the end of the covered wire 100 shown in FIG. 13A, 13B with color C different from the colors A, B. The band mark 103 are formed into circular shape (ring shape). The covered wire 100 shown in FIG. 13A, 13B can be distinguished about the wire diameter by existence of the band mark 103.
On the other hand, the weight of the wire harness may be increased in proportion of increasing various electronic apparatuses mounted in the car. Then, the covered wires 100 are expected to be thinner for lightening the wire harness. However, it becomes difficult to distinguish the combinations of colors A and B, because the color A part and the color B part are made narrow when the diameter of the covered wire 100 colored in stripe pattern as shown in FIG. 13A, 13B is made thinner. Thereby, incorrect wiring of the covered wires 100 may be possibly increased when the wire harness is assembled so that the quality of the wire harness may be reduced.
When the wire harness in the car is assembled with the usual covered wires 100, more than hundred kinds of the covered wires 100 colored with combinations of color A and B are required. Therefore, many processes and more space for storing the more than hundred kinds of the covered wires 100 in a manufacturing site for the covered wires 100 and assembling site for the wire harness.
Thereby, a cost of a product using the covered wires 100, such as a harness, may be increased. The applicant of this invention already proposed the other manufacturing process comprising steps of pre-producing unicolor, for example white-colored, covered wires and coloring the white-colored covered wires with required colors during assembling process of the wire harness. This process may have difficulty about a method of distinguishing covered wires.
The objects of this invention are to provide covered wires which can reduce costs of for example a wire harness assembled therewith and be easily distinguished, and a method of distinguishing covered wires which can reduce costs of the covered wires and easily distinguish the covered wires.